


Save Them

by AnimeYaoiFangirl100



Series: The Casimiro Chronicles [3]
Category: Rise of the Guardians (2012)
Genre: Accidents, Angst, Blood, Gen, Heavy Angst, Hurt, I might tag future tags later if things go differently, Monsters, Multi, Some Humor, Stupidity, This Is Why We Can't Have Nice Things, What Have I Done, what a surprise
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2017-12-16 05:41:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,837
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/858483
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AnimeYaoiFangirl100/pseuds/AnimeYaoiFangirl100
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It was just a simple request. Casimiro wasn't known to make them lightly, but he was making one. Something like this. What's the world coming to? Especially when the King is coming to Jack and the other Guardians for help. He's saying something's out to get the children... But what?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. And he Asks

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, so I've been meaning to start this. I'm just writing this as I go- starting it at 11:40 PM at my grandparents house and listening to the album Save Rock and Roll.  
> I hope you guys can enjoy this!  
> .... And I hope this was a lot better than my summary was.
> 
> I only own Casimiro.

"This was not a good night to come for a visit, Jack." Casimiro said, his voice soft as he leaned back against the tree. His green eyes were reflecting the light of the moon. Granted, he was always expecting the spirit of Winter at night, but he had hoped the other wouldn't show up. At least not anytime soon. His hopes were in vain, it would seem. He should have known better. Jack liked keeping in touch and getting together every few months. That was long over-due anyway.

"Oh, come on! What do you have to do tonight? Probably the same as every night- nothing very interesting. I was thinking that we could have some fun since I have nothing better to do and-" 

"I know that I don't often have things to do, but I have something important to do tonight." Jack watched as his friend shook his head, his shaggy hair flying a little and landing back in its messy heap. Honestly, what did the other have to do? Most of the time Casimiro took care of his duties - checking on the animals in the forests, mostly the Amazon, where he lived, and the Congo - and he knew very well that the young spirit knew this. "And I probably will for a while now. I'll contact you when I get done. Now go away."

"You seem to hate people especially much this evening." Jack Frost commented, bracing his staff over his shoulders and walking around in circles. He knew as much as anyone about how Casimiro was strongly anti-social, but he normally didn't seem to mind Jack's company. He actually seemed to prefer it compared to others of his kind- Casimiro didn't really like any of the other Animal Lords either. It always made Jack feel wanted; even though he had a new family and believers. It was good to know that he could always count on the other for constant companionship.

Despite how much he was known for pushing other spirits away from his home, Casimiro had never once been so short with Jack. Not once had he been told to leave the other alone within five minutes of showing up. When he got annoying, sure, but not when he hadn't even done anything yet. 

"If it keeps them all out of harms way, I'll hate the whole world." The words were soft, but bitter, and Jack just barely heard them. They were confusing, of course, and he didn't understand, but it didn't sound good. Not at all.

"What do you mean by that?" The white haired male asked, looking at the other seriously. Jack Frost and serious didn't mix, but he could make it work when he wanted it to.

"Nothing that you need to concern yourself with. Just things have been happening to my-" Casimiro broke off quickly, as if realizing what he had been about to say. His green eyes bore down into the ground, as if they could drill their way down and take out all the unhappy things from the ground. And, if he could, he would have done it to. The King of the Jungle had just told Jack it wasn't his problem, and then he almost told him exactly what that problem was. As if he could actually help.

Suddenly green eyes widened and they rose to look at Jack. His old, brown leather pants; his frost covered blue sweatshirt; his white hair reflecting against the moon; his blue eyes that were always so filled with joy that were now so serious; his bare feet, each toe twitching as the wind blew grass over them and tickling them.

Jack was one of the few that he would actually count as a friend. Casimiro didn't want him to get hurt, but he knew that Jack could handle himself. Besides, Jack was a Guardian. Technically, this did involve him. It didn't have to, of course, but he could help. He and the other Guardians. The King would only trust Jack and Sanderson, but that would have to be enough. With what was going on... He needed help; even if he didn't want to admit it. Especially if he didn't want to admit it.

"Casimiro?"

Green eyes blinked at the spirit in the body of a young boy once more before deciding. Whatever happened, he could trust Jack. 

"I... I need help." The words were hesitant, as if pulled out of him by force, and they had Jack blinking to make sure he had heard right. Never once had he heard his friend utter those words. What would he need help with? Checking on the animals? It was one of the only duties Jack was aware of that Animal Lords did. However, he knew deep down that it was worse than that. 

Casimiro would never ask for help over such a trivial reason. Jack knew that for certain.

Before he could ask, however, the other spirit carried on.

"There's something in my forest, Jack." Now would have been a good chance to make some sarcastic remark, but this was too serious for that; that was why Jack stopped himself. "It's evil. It is pure evil. Dio... It's just in the Amazon for now, and I am sure that's how it will stay for a while. It has no need to move. It has a sufficient food supply." Now _that_ didn't sound good at all. If that was anything like it sounded like... Jack didn't really want the answer. Though he knew he was going to get it. 

Then there was the look that Casimiro was giving him; that certainly wasn't lightening the mood at all. It was a heartbroken expression. Now that he was talking, the green eyed male seemed to drop all his walls. There was nothing blocking the raw emotion from showing in his eyes. 

"What's going on?" The Winter spirit prompted after a few moments of silence. The other just nodded before starting to speak once more.

"There are dozens of villages along the Amazon. Most, if not all, villages believe in me and worship me like any of their other Gods. They do this because whenever I come across someone that's lost, I show myself to them and show them the way back home. I'm even well acquainted with some of the chiefs. There have been over 60 killings or disappearances - one in the same, really - within the past three months." The jungle dweller held up three fingers for emphasis; something that he didn't need for the story. "And the majority of them are young people; those who haven't even reached adulthood yet. Tell me, Jack, have the Guardians noticed anymore children's deaths than normal in this part of the world?"

"No, I don't think so." Jack said, shaking his head and trying to think. North would have told him, surely, so there must not have been anything noticed.

"That's because disease always strikes around these parts. Very easily, and very quickly. It normally takes a lot of lives, so it's not that hard to overlook extra deaths along the larger rivers because it's more than likely disease." The Italian sighed and just shook his head, and Jack found himself feeling angry all of a sudden. How could someone just ignore a child's death? Especially when a large number died at once. How could North just push it away as just a disease? What if it actually wasn't, for once. "It's understandable. But then things like this happen. If it can't get to children, it goes after weaker prey. I know that it is more of a water-based animal, but..." He gave a huff of frustration and Jack just frowned, his anger starting to ebb, but not as quickly as it should have. "It's all over the place, Jack. It's taken one person from a majority of the villages on the Southern part of the river. It's only a matter of time before it moves on, and that can't happen. I'm already letting my people down."

_His people?_ Jack asked himself. Casimiro wasn't a people person. He wasn't a Guardian over the human population, but he still seemed to take his roll of deity very seriously. He looked defeated in every way that he could while still looking strong.

"And you want my help with this?" The white haired spirit asked, making sure that he was understanding what the other was saying. While Casimiro had been talking, Jack had sat down himself, placing his staff on the ground beside him.

"I had wanted to try and take care of this myself, to be honest. Before anyone else got involved." The cat-like man gave a bitter laugh, continuing on. "But I couldn't think of any smart way to go about this, so..." He made a gesture, as if to say 'And there was nothing done.' "I don't just want your help, Jack. I'm not going to lie here. There's a good chance you're going to get hurt if you are the only one helping me. Even with the others helping, there's still a good chance that you could get hurt. The Amazon gets hot during the day, so you'll be a lot weaker." Though he knew Jack wouldn't care, he felt that the words needed to be said anyway.

"The others?" 

"A Guardians job is to protect the children. Whether they want to help me or not, they should come for that reason alone. This monster likes to eat kids more than adults. Jack, go get the other Guardians if you can. I have a feeling that we'll need everything and everyone." Jack gave a nod and jumped to his feet, landing on his toes slightly and grabbing his staff. "And Jack,"

"Yeah?" Jack asked, turning his head slightly to glance back at his friend. 

"Don't come back until closer to sunset. It's not just because the sun will make you weaker!" His voice rose when it looked like Jack was about to protest. Which he was going to. "It will, but it's also because this thing is more nocturnal than anything. We have a better chance of getting it at night, and when all of us are fresh. Jack, don't argue. Just do as I say. Please." Jack, who had been about to object once again, clamped his mouth shut at hearing that last word. Casimiro never asked politely. Instead, Jack just gave another nod before bidding the wind to take him to the Pole.

Jack was the only one who had ever seen Casimiro so fragile, and he wanted to do everything that he could to correct that. He would do everything that he could to help his friend, and he would make sure that the others helped too. They had to. He would make them if he had to.


	2. And He Does

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Casimiro rarely tells a lie, but that doesn't mean he isn't good at it.

Casimiro knew better. Honestly he did. It was just better if he didn’t follow what he knew; instincts were always better when it came to things like these. So he would go it alone. He knew it was a stupid thing to do, but he truly did not have time to waste. What if it killed another while he was resting? While he was waiting for help that might or might not help?  
  
Of course _Jack_ would come back. He knew that. The Guardian of Fun was always like that. When he said that he was going to do something he would always do it, even if it was stupid and most likely suicidal. Like this current task was. The chances of himself succeeding was slim to none, and, despite how confident he was with Jack’s powers, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t held the odds at all. So far there was just Jack to help him out; he had no guarantee that any of the other Guardians would come to his aid.  
  
And, the more he thought about it, the more he wished he hadn’t said anything to Jack. He didn’t want anything to happen to the older spirit, so he set out to do things alone. Like he should’ve done to begin with.  
  
That he had been trying to do for months.  
  
—-*—-  
  
“Well, mate, what do you expect?” Of all the reactions he had hoped to get by riling the other up, this hadn’t been it. He should have went to North first, if he could pull him out of his “building time” as Jack so called it. Tooth he knew was too busy right now and even then he should’ve went to Sandy before the irritating fur ball! What had he expected to accomplish here?  
  
“Well, since you are supposed to handle some of these matters, I figured maybe a little help? If that’s not too much to ask, that is.”  
  
“Ya know very well that I’m busy getting ready for my own holiday. Bugger off and let me to it, will ya?”  
  
“People are dying, Bunny! _Children_ are dying! Your stupid holiday is like seven months away- what’s the harm in taking some time off to go do, I don’t know, how about your job?!”  
  
Now, don’t get him wrong, Jack likes Bunnymund. Not only are they kind of a family now - as North and Tooth like to call them - but the winter spirit sometimes just had the urge to hang out with someone who was completely his opposite. Bunnymund fit that role perfectly and Jack wanted to get as close to him as possible.  
  
That being said, he would never stop getting pissed over that attitude. How could such an animal be the Easter Bunny? Honestly, he was aggravating on his best of days. And this was exactly why Jack would have had better luck with North.  
  
“Look, I think ya happen ta be takin’ this a little seriously. Of course protected kids is my job, but so is givin’ them Hope. Which makes Easter my top priority.” Of course, Jack had injured his pride! If it had been another day maybe Jack would have apologized for calling his precious holiday stupid.  
  
“ _Kids_ , Bunny. And dying. Those should be two words that are key and that you need to pay attention to.”  
  
“Frostbite,” Bunnymund said with a sigh, turning around so that he was actually facing Jack as he spoke. “I love kids, ya know that. But it’s that time a year. Disease hits every year. Not ta mention the ebola virus is running all over the place down there. Don’t worry, kid- happens every year. It’ll pass.”  
  
“Look, I don’t think you quite understand!” As always he was talking with his hands, it was a habit that he could never break himself of. The more he talked, the louder he got, the more animated his movements were. This time was no different than any other, and his movements always seemed to get him more attention. “First of all, I’m pretty sure that that ebola thing is in Africa rather than South America. Next off is you didn’t see him. Casimiro would know the difference between a virus going around and something taking a tasty bite out of the population down there.”  
  
“I don’t need ta see the gumby to see that he’s crazy. Looks it, probably is from being so lonely, and you’re just helping add fuel to the fire.” Their first meeting hadn’t been impressive, but it was memorable. It was a known fact that the Guardian didn’t like the Animal Lord and would rather not have to deal with him.  
  
“First off, he’s _not_ crazy. That’s like saying I went crazy when I didn’t have any of you.” Jack said, glaring. “You know what? I probably would have too if it wasn’t for him. He kept me sane- not the other way around! I probably am the one who knows him best! And I know something’s wrong when I see it. He was scared, Kangaroo.”  
  
Jack knew that would get a reaction. Whether or not it was the one he wanted, he just wanted any kind of reaction. It did have the pooka scowling, but he didn’t explode like Jack wanted him to. The younger spirit wasn’t sure whether to be disappointed or relieved that the other would be able to still be rational.  
  
The older Guardian had a weak spot for Jack, and felt bad about leaving him to his own devices for so long. Even when they had met before when Jack would mess around with his holiday. The overgrown rabbit try to hide it, but Jack could see it. And he wasn’t afraid to use that to his advantage.  
  
“Scared? Gotta be jokin’. Ya think just because he asked ya for help means he’s scared? He told four Guardians to shove off at the same time, when he very well coulda been beaten into a bloody pulp. Not sure if that signifies stupidity or not, but I reckon he’s not scared of much.”  
  
“You’re right, Kangaroo, he’s not. I have never seen that guy scared of anything- well, almost anything. Sometimes when he sleeps he gets a little scared, but don’t we all?” The white haired boy gave a small laugh, but it was without humor. Certainly not his usual laugh, and that was all because he was worried for his friend.  
  
Casimiro was cold and calculated at the best of times. He thought about everything rationally and always overthought things. But what if he suddenly decided to do something rash? Something that could actually be life and death? Yes, he was too smart for that, but that couldn’t stop Jack from worrying about it. In a way he looked up the the younger spirit, if that made any sense.  
  
When Bunnymund didn’t respond to that and seemed to be deep in thought, Jack decided to press his luck even more. Maybe it was a matter of one or two more presses before he gave in- or before he told Jack to get lost. Hopefully it was the former.  
  
“He was scared, Kangaroo. It was all over his face- in his eyes, like a haunted look. He’s scared and worried. He wanted to take care of it himself, but he said that there was more of a chance if I could get the other Guardians to help. It wasn’t just that either- he said something he has never said, at least not to me, before. He said please.”  
  
The spirit stopped, feeling as if he could say no more on the subject. There was nothing else he could say to make the other spirit believe him. He’d done what he could, and if Bunnymund didn’t say yes, then he’s just have to go try one of the others. _Or, if worse comes to worse, I’ll go myself._ He thought, watching as Bunnymund made his decision.  
  
It made Jack happy, watching the resigned expression cross the poookas’ features. It was obvious now- he had won this battle. Which meant that he would be able to keep his promise to his friend.  
  
“Alright, alright, ya win.” The overgrown rodent - because pooka or not he was basically just a rabbit - sighed. His ears drooped for no more than a split-second before lifting once again. He had to look down once more to meet the winter spirit in the eye properly. “But we do it my way. Whether or not the kid is scared, that makes no difference to me. We’ll go give him a little visit and then decide the best course of action ta take. Understand?”  
  
“Yes, fine, great! Let’s get going then! Let’s hurry and get the others and then get going.”  
  
“Oi, don’t get too anxious. It’s just going to be the two of us, like it or not. Better this way. Also, we should probably wait until dark. Better for you and better ta not be seen.”  
  
“Wait, are you saying that you care right now? That you actually care if I melt?” The thought made him smile and he beamed up at the pooka and continued. “Good. Keep that up- I need good moral support, you know? Even then we can’t wait! Casimiro said that it’s more active at night, so I think we have a better chance during the day.” When Bunnymund still didn’t seem convinced Jack added, “Plus, there’s tons of trees. Which means lots of shade. And, seeing as there’s a good chance it might be raining, it’ll be cooler.”  
  
He tried to give a winning smile, but ultimately failed when the other just glared at him. Apparently he wasn’t one to believe Jacks’ shenanigans. Even North didn’t believe in them, but he even helped out with them on occasion. When he was actually paying attention, that is.  
  
 Even if the winning smile didn’t work on Bunnymund, it was obvious that his rational thought overtook the argument. Maybe he was a thespian in another life, or currently, because he rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically.  
  
He was making it more amusing than it probably should be, and Jack wanted to kick himself. He had more important things to think about than being amused by the pookas’ antics.  
  
“I reckon it wouldn’t be too good to just leave things unattended, now would it?” Aster murmured, blinking slowly before turning around abruptly. “It is the hottest time of day - also the hottest month down South - so we will _not_ be running all over the place. Ya need your strength, 'specially in the heat. Ya also better not be lyin’ ta me, Frostbite. If ya get to feeling too warm let me know.”  
  
“Can do! So, what changed your mind? Starting to care for the lil guy?”  
  
“Never gonna happen.” Bunny said, making his way towards one of the tunnels with Jack in tow. “But you did say that he wanted to take care of things himself, didn’t you?”  
  
“That was the original plan. There’s a new one now.”  
  
“Awfully sure about that, aren’t ya, mate?”  
  
—-*—-  
  
Green eyes narrowed as he watched the creature sunning itself on a rock. It was long, thick and black. He could see it very clearly as he sat in the tree, waiting for a good time to attack. Like all reptiles it was partial to the sun, and he had been right to expect where to find the beast. At least it wasn’t eating anyone at the moment.  
  
This was not his smartest move and he knew it, but, once he had made the decision to actually do it, that was what he was going to do. The thing was a menace and needed to be stopped. By him or by others, he just hoped that it didn’t do much more harm. It had already done plenty of that to the ecosystem these past few months.  
  
Steeling himself the young man closed his eyes, taking a deep breath before he jumped from the treetops. His silent nature was a blessing at the best of times. What he hadn’t expected was the beast to scent him, lifting up its’ head to stare straight at him as he fell. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey! Long time no see guys! ..... Has it really been a year already? ^^" 
> 
> I will admit that when I started this I hadn't had the plot completely down and out- there were holes in it and then I lost inspiration. Which I recently found. Like, during my Practical English class this morning recently. 
> 
> Hopefully you enjoyed it and I hope to have more up soon!
> 
> I also would like to apologize for any errors that are in this. I didn't really read through to check for any typos. ^^" The same with any inaccuracies.

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea when I was watching River Monsters: Unhooked.


End file.
